Takamine bridge beyond repair?

[Stacey]

I snagged this old 1974 F-340 takamine hoping to save it from the trash. I am not sure if it is beyond saving, looks like someone was planning a bridge replacement and gave up. My question is, is it beyond saving? Can I graft a new piece in or fill it and add a new bridge? There isn't a luthier in my area so it would be a home job.

[Andrew]

There will be a change in tone, but whether its good or bad or nominal is subjective. But for the price and effort, its not a big deal to take it off if you dont like it. Or you could make a matching thingy of rosewood or maple that does the same thing with more subtle tone effects. It wouldnt last as long as the brass but it would take the brunt in place of your bridge plate.

And you could certainly make something more interesting than a spice rack with it. Im thinking Desperado lol. Or theres a tv show in canada where a guy turns a guitar into a little animal trap for survival lol.

[LARRY KLOSE]

LMII white glue might be a good choice.  Longer open time and less critical to work with.  It's also less flexible than Titebond.

Lest purists be concerned about using it here, see if you can find Lynn Dudenbostel's video for the DIY channel on constructing a guitar   There, he used LMII to glue on a new bridge, rather than HHG.  I emailed him about it and he replied that for that application, the LMII glue was as good as the HHG,  and a lot easier to get a good bond with the whole bridge.  

Larry

[Robbie Collins]

As I recall, there is a Dan Elewine video where he does a graft under a bridge. I'm guessing his Bridge Repairs DVD. Okay...looked it up on StewMac site. Here's the contents of Bridge Repairs, Vol. 2:

Dan Erlewine's Bridge Repairs, Vol. 2

Advanced bridge repair: Gibson SJ
Repairing soundboard wood beneath the bridge
Soundboard grain run-out explained
Making a bookmatched spruce fill
Making a bridge plate from scratch
Patching worn bridge pin holes in the soundboard
Drilling new bridge pin holes

[Robbie Collins]

P.S. You can rent guitar repair videos here:

https://smartflix.com/store/category/39/Lutherie

Here are the Bridge Repairs videos:

https://smartflix.com/store/video/6375/Dan-Erlewines-Bridge-Repairs

[Paul Young]

I would do exactly what Frank Ford did on the link he suggested about halfway down the page.  First carefully clean off the chewed up wood.  Use a sharp knife around the edges to pick it off, and a chisel on the flat places, very very carefully!  Then sand off the destroyed wood from the bottom of the bridge, you'll want a clean flat surface, and glue that baby right back on.  Stain or paint the bridge first if you think it needs it, any dark stain/paint from the hardware store.  If their is paint on the bridge stain won't stick, it might need to be sanded, and it will look ugly until it gets stained, also don't paint or stain where the bridge will be glued to the guitar.  I'd use painters blue masking tape (note not very sticky tape) around the edges to keep the bridge area clean, and use epoxy to glue the bridge on.  You'll need some extra long clamps, and something soft like cork to prevent marks.  I might skip the adding of a piece of spruce to cover it up though, since this is an inexpensive guitar, I would guess the bridge wouldn't hurt going a tad lower anyways, although test fit the bridge first, and use a ruler going from the neck to the bridge to see how high the bridge will fit.  The ruler should hit right at the top of the bridge, if it is too low you'll need to add the extra spruce.

This picture from Frank Ford's site should say it all:

Here's a list:

1. Score around the edges of the bridge with a knife, put painters tape around the edges and cut to fit.

2. Clean off the broken wood in the middle with a chisel, down to the the white wood of the laminate.

3. Clean off the bottom of the bridge and sand it flat with 220 grit.

4. Stain/Paint the bridge to desired color, don't get stain on sanded bottom where glue will go.

5. Squeeze out some epoxy glue onto a piece of cardboard and mix.

6. Use a popsicle stick, putty knife, or anything flat to scrape up some glue, this object might get destroyed by the glue.

7. Apply glue very sparingly, keep a distance from the edges, so when it gets clamped on it doesn't squish out all over.

8. Clamp it down with some cork or rubber on the clamps, so as not to mar the bridge.

9. Also very important to line up the holes where the bridge pins go, stick something about the size of bridge pins to line it up.

10. That should do it!

[Stacey]

Now I have an excise to buy a yardstick Lol! I will do a cleanup of the area and have a look at where the bridge will sit. I personally like low action on my guitar. My buddy says it's because I am a lazy player. May be able to do it that way just to get some play out of it, but if I patch it then I will have learned a bit more. On that note, is there somewhere to get such a thin piece of spruce? I could always run next door and have the neighbor shave some down, the hole is 2mm deep spot on. Now if I could remember where I last put my Dremel...

And a Desperado case with a guitar with a hinged top would be an awesome gift... I will have to remember that in the future! So much cooler than a spice rack...

[Paul Young]

Spruce Patching Wood from Stewart MacDonald looks like the right stuff, one thing different about this kind of wood is that it is quarter sawn, which means all the grain goes one direction in uniform lines, so if you go to a lumber yard or hardware store, make sure it's quarter sawn.  If your neighbor knows what quarter sawn luthier spruce is then you're lucky.  There also may be a suitable wood veneer that is quarter sawn at Woodcraft.

A yard stick might be too long and unwieldy, it might actually scratch the instrument because of the difficulty in holding it, a simple ruler or any straight edge will do the job, even the side of a book if it's straight.

A Dremel sounds like overkill for this job and would cause way more damage than necessary, I speak from experience here, the first time I used a Dremel on a guitar I took a huge chunk out of the fretboard at the first fret, the guitar survived but I learned my lesson.  I have a very steady hand and I thought I could do it, don't, it will get away from you believe me. 

There is one exception for the Dremel and that is if you have the router attachment, and a guide built in the shape of the bridge, that too is risky if it's your first time, definitely practice on another piece of wood if you're going to take that route.

A simple chisel or scraper will do a much better job.

[Stacey]

I probably should have said my Dremel stylus. I use it for any the intricate work I do. Its a nice little Dremel with tiny bits and a nice grip. I have a router also but I am not confident in it not getting away from me like you said. That bugger just desires to kick sometimes.

[LARRY KLOSE]

You must be sure that the remaining laminates are sound in the bridge area and that the glue between them hasn't failed.  Years ago I had an Italian EKO 12 string with a lifted bridge and had it reglued.  The bridge stayed soundly glued to the top layer of (laminated) spruce but the top layer separated from those below and pretty soon it lifted again, taking the top layer with the bridge.  This guitar was pretty much a brick so I simply retired it with a band saw, but if you want to keep the guitar, the whole foundation for the bridge should be sound or it's a waste of effort.

Larry